Story told to us by our closest neighbor,

an American Indian who was 85

and caring for his mother.

.
It seems that, as a medicine man of the bear clan, it was his duty to kill a grizzly bear and wear the claws. When he went for it, he spoke to the spirit of the bear, requesting that it come to him and stand on two legs if it was ready to die. A grizzly did appear, did stand up, and it is the claws of that bear that he always wears.

There’s more. He said that his father had not been able to fulfill his duty to do the same thing, so he, the son, had traveled into the wilds to get one for his father before going for his own. Same thing. He asked the spirit of the bear to come to him and to stand tall to show that it was ready to die. The necklace from the claws of that first grizzly was buried with his father.